Disk drive head suspensions with wireless or integrated lead flexures are generally known and disclosed, for example, in PCT Application No. WO 98/20485 and the following U.S. Patents, all of which are incorporated herein by reference.
InventorU.S. Pat. No.Klaassen5,608,591Sone et al.5,694,270Balakrishnan5,754,369Simmons et al.5,862,010Simmons et al.5,986,853Balakrishnan5,995,328Even et al.6,762,913Jang et al.6,940,697Erpelding7,046,483Fu et al.7,064,928Kulangara et al.7,079,357
The continuing development of read/write head and associated disk drive technology requires head suspensions having improved mechanical and electrical performance. For example, increasing numbers of signal conducting traces are needed on suspensions to accommodate the increasing complexity of the read/write heads and the incorporation of integrated circuit (IC) chips onto the suspensions themselves. At the same time, the physical size of the suspensions is decreasing. Meeting these requirements with small traces having high bandwidth and low impedance is increasingly difficult.
There is, therefore, a continuing need for improved head suspensions and components. In particular, there is a need for flexures capable of handling increasing numbers of signals. The signal conducting traces must provide high bandwidths and low impedances. To be commercially viable, any such flexure must be efficient to manufacture.